Methods for producing decorative grass formed of cloth and polymeric film

ABSTRACT

Decorative grasses formed from a laminated material constructed of a layer of cloth and at least one layer of polymeric film wherein at least one surface of the laminate is provided with a decorative pattern or design. At least a portion of the layer of polymeric film is laminated to the layer of cloth, as well as methods for forming same, are disclosed herein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/337,582,filed Jan. 6, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/195,026,filed Jul. 9, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,620, issued Apr. 8, 2003;which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/636,539, filed Aug. 10, 2000,now abandoned; the contents of each of which are hereby expresslyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates to methods for forming wrappers forflower pots and floral groupings, and more particularly but not by wayof limitation, to methods for forming wrappers for flower pots andfloral groupings from a sheet of material constructed from natural orsynthetic fibers or combinations thereof in combination with at leastone polymeric film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of material constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

[0005]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet of material similar to thesheet of material of FIG. 1, the sheet of material having a bondingmaterial disposed along one edge thereof.

[0006]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sheet of material constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

[0007]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet of material of FIG. 2having a floral grouping disposed thereon.

[0008]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the floral grouping of FIG. 4being wrapped with the sheet of material of FIG. 2 by one method ofwrapping.

[0009]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a decorative cover for the floralgrouping formed from the sheet of material of FIG. 2.

[0010]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a decorativecover for the floral grouping formed from the sheet of material of FIG.2.

[0011]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a decorative cover positionedabout a flower pot wherein the decorative cover is formed from the sheetof material of FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a flower pot cover former andband applicator device having the sheet of material of FIG. 1 disposedabove an opening in the flower pot cover former and band applicatordevice and having a flower pot disposed above the sheet of material.

[0013]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve constructed inaccordance with the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 10disposed about a floral grouping.

[0015]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a floral sleeve constructed inaccordance with the present invention, the floral sleeve having acinching member.

[0016]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the floral sleeve of FIG. 12disposed about a floral grouping.

[0017]FIG. 14 is an elevational view of a sleeve having a detachableportion constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 14 having aflower pot disposed therein.

[0019]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the flower pot disposed in thesleeve of FIG. 15 wherein an upper portion of the sleeve has beenremoved to provide a decorative cover having a skirt.

[0020]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a ribbon material formed from asheet of material constructed in accordance with the present invention.

[0021]FIG. 18 is a schematic representation of a system for makingdecorative grass from a sheet of material constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

[0022]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a segment of decorative grassproduced from a sheet of material constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Sheets of material constructed in accordance with the presentinvention may be employed to provide a decorative cover for a floralgrouping (FIGS. 4-7) or a decorative cover for a flower pot (FIG. 8); toprovide a sleeve for wrapping or covering a floral grouping (FIGS.10-13) or a flower pot (FIGS. 14-16); to provide a ribbon material (FIG.17) or to produce decorative grass (FIG. 19). Such uses of the sheets ofmaterial of the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 4-19.

[0024] The term “flower pot” as used herein refers to any type ofcontainer for holding a floral grouping, a plant, or any anotherpot-type container. Examples of flower pots and/or pot-type containersinclude, but are not limited to, clay pots, wooden pots, plastic pots,pots made from natural and/or synthetic fibers, or any combinationthereof. Such flower pots and/or pot-type containers are provided with aretaining space for receiving a floral grouping. The floral grouping maybe disposed within the retaining space of the flower pot with a suitablegrowing medium, or other retaining medium, such as a floral foam. Itwill also be understood that in some cases the floral grouping, and anyappropriate growing medium or other retaining medium, may be disposed ina sleeve formed from the sheet of material constructed in accordancewith the present invention if the sleeve is adapted to contain a medium.

[0025] “Floral grouping” as used herein refers to cut fresh flowers,artificial flowers, a single flower or other fresh and/or artificialplants or other floral materials and may include other secondary plantsand/or ornamentation or artificial or natural materials which add to theaesthetics of the overall floral grouping. Further, the floral groupingmay comprise a growing potted plant having a root portion as well.However, it will be appreciated that the floral grouping may consist ofonly a single bloom or only foliage, a botanical item, or a propagule.The term “floral grouping” may be used interchangeably herein with theterms “floral arrangement”, “botanical item” and/or “propagule.”

[0026] The term “growing medium” when used herein refers to any liquid,solid or gaseous material used for plant growth or for the cultivationof propagules, including organic and inorganic materials such as soil,humus, perlite, vermiculite, sand, water, and including the nutrients,fertilizers or hormones or combinations thereof required by the plantsor propagules for growth.

[0027] The term “botanical item” when used herein refers to a natural orartificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singularly or incombination. The term “botanical item” also refers to any portion orportions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants includingstems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, takensingularly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such asbouquets or floral groupings.

[0028] The term “propagule” when used herein refers to any structurecapable of being propagated or acting as an agent of reproductionincluding seeds, shoots, stems, runners, tubers, plants, leaves, rootsor spores.

Description of FIGS. 1-3

[0029] Referring now to the Drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1,shown therein is a sheet of laminated material 10 constructed inaccordance with the present invention. The sheet of laminated material10 comprises a layer of cloth 12 and a layer of polymeric film 14. Thesheet of laminated material 10 has an upper surface 16, a lower surface18, a first side 20, a second side 22, a third side 24 and a fourth side26.

[0030] The layer of polymeric film 14 is laminated to the layer of cloth12 by any method known in the art so that one surface of the laminatedmaterial 10, such as the upper surface 16, is cloth and the secondsurface of the laminated material 10, such as the lower surface 18, ispolymeric film.

[0031] The term “cloth” as used herein will be understood to include anytype of fabric material, including woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, weldedfabric, spun bonded fabric, knitted fabric, pressed fabric, other typesof fibrous material, and combinations thereof. Examples of cloth includefabrics formed from natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, hair,burlap, and linen, as well as synthetic fibers such as rayon andpolyester, and blends thereof, such as denim.

[0032] The term “polymeric film” as used herein includes syntheticpolymers such as polypropylene, polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride,extruded polymeric materials having an expanded core such as extrudedpolypropylene having an expanded core, naturally occurring polymers suchas cellophane, and combinations thereof. The extruded polymeric materialhaving an expanded core may also be referred to herein as an expandedcore polymeric material.

[0033] “Extruded polymeric material having an expanded core” or“expanded core polymeric film” as used herein refers to any extrudablepolymeric material or polymeric film in which the core is expandedduring extrusion, such as by incorporation of a blowing agent in thepolymeric resin which is being extruded.

[0034] The layer of polymeric film 14 may also be constructed, in wholeor in part, from a cling material. “Cling material” when used hereinrefers to any material which is capable of connecting to the sheet ofmaterial and/or itself upon contacting engagement during the wrappingprocess and is wrappable about an item whereby portions of the clingmaterial contactingly engage and connect to other portions of anothermaterial, or, alternatively, to itself, for generally securing thematerial wrapped about at least a portion of a flower pot. Thisconnecting engagement is preferably temporary in that the material maybe easily removed, i.e., the cling material “clings” to the flower pot.

[0035] As stated herein before, at least a portion of the layer ofpolymeric film 14 may be laminated to the layer of cloth 12 to form thesheet of laminated material 10 by any method known in the art. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,811 entitled “Laminated Printed Foil FlowerPot Wrap With Multicolor Appearance” issued to Weder on Nov. 3, 1981,which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference, describes amethod for laminating two sheets of material using a bonding material.The layer of polymeric film 14 may be laminated to the layer of cloth 12using a colored adhesive so as to impart a desired color to the sheet oflaminated material 10.

[0036] The sheet of laminated material 10 is illustrated as beingsquare. It will be appreciated, however, that the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 can be of any shape, configuration or size as long as thesheet of laminated material 10 is sufficiently sized and shaped to wrapand encompass a floral grouping or flower pot. For example, the sheet oflaminated material 10 may have a rectangular, round, oval, octagonal orasymmetrical shape.

[0037] In addition, the layer of cloth 12 and the layer of polymericfilm 14 may be any shape, configuration or size as long as the sheet oflaminated material 10 formed therefrom can function as described herein.Further, the layer of cloth 12 and the layer of polymeric film 14 mayhave different shapes. In this manner, the sheet of laminated material10 may be provided with various asymmetrical shapes.

[0038] The layer of cloth 12 may be substantially the same size as thelayer of polymeric film 14, or the layer of cloth 12 may besubstantially larger in width and/or length than the layer of polymericfilm 14. For example, the layer of polymeric film 14 may only be presenton the portion of the sheet of laminated material 10 which will form abase portion of a decorative cover so as to impart water impermeabilityto the base portion of the decorative cover, while the layer of cloth 12may extend beyond the layer of polymeric film 14 and form a skirtportion of the decorative cover which serves only a decorative functionand does not require water impermeability.

[0039] Further, multiple sheets of laminated material 10 may be used ina single circumstance to provide a decorative cover or sleeve for afloral grouping or a flower pot. Moreover, when multiple sheets oflaminated material 10 are used in combination, the sheets of laminatedmaterial 10 need not be uniform in size or shape.

[0040] Any thickness or stiffness of the layer of cloth 12 and the layerof polymeric film 14 may be utilized in accordance with the presentinvention as long as the sheet of laminated material 10 can be wrappedabout at least a portion of a floral grouping or a flower pot to form adecorative cover for the floral grouping or flower pot, or formed into asleeve for wrapping or covering a floral grouping or a flower pot, or toprovide a ribbon or decorative grass. Generally, the layer of cloth 12will have a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 30 mil,and desirably from about 0.6 mil to about 10 mil, and the layer ofpolymeric film 14 generally will have a thickness in a range of fromabout 0.5 mil to about 30 mil, and desirably from about 0.6 mil to about2 mil. While the thickness of the sheet of laminated material 10 canvary widely and will generally depend on the thicknesses of the layer ofcloth 12 and the layer of polymeric film 14, desirable results can beobtained where the sheet of laminated material 10 has a thickness in arange of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mil, and desirably from about0.5 mil to about 20 mil.

[0041] The sheet of laminated material 10 may vary in color, dependingat least in part on the type of cloth utilized as the layer of cloth 12from which the sheet of laminated material 10 is constructed. The layerof polymeric film 14 may be tinted, or the layer of polymeric film 14may be laminated to the layer of cloth 12 using a tinted bondingmaterial, which can also provide the sheet of laminated material 10 withvarious colors. Further, the sheet of laminated material 10 may havedecorative patterns or designs which are provided on at least onesurface thereof which may be provided by printing, embossing, matting,texturing, flocking, application of foamable lacquers or foamable inks,and variations thereof and combinations thereof.

[0042] Shown in FIG. 2 is a sheet of laminated material 10 a constructedin accordance with the present invention. The sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a has an upper surface 16 a, a lower surface 18 a, a firstside 20 a, a second side 22 a, a third side 24 a and a fourth side 26 a.The sheet of laminated material 10 a is constructed of a layer of cloth12 a and a layer of polymeric film 14 a.

[0043] A bonding material 30 is disposed on at least a portion of atleast one of the upper and lower surfaces 16 a and 18 a of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a. The bonding material 30 is depicted in FIG. 2as being disposed on the upper surface 16 a of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a substantially adjacent the third side 24 a and extendingas a strip between the first and second sides 20 a and 22 a of the sheetof laminated material 10 a. The bonding material 30 may cover a portionof the upper surface 16 a and/or lower surface 18 a of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a, or the bonding material 30 may entirely coverthe upper surface 16 a and/or lower surface 18 a of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a. The bonding material 30 may be disposed on theupper surface 16 a and/or lower surface 18 a of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a in the form of a strip or in the form of spaced-apartspots. Methods for disposing a bonding material 30 on the sheet oflaminated material 10 a are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,637,entitled “Method For Wrapping A Floral Grouping”, issued to Weder, etal. on May 12, 1992, which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

[0044] The term “bonding material” when used herein includes adhesives,such as pressure sensitive adhesives, cohesives or any combinationthereof. Such bonding materials are known in the art and arecommercially available. When the bonding material 30 is a cohesive, asimilar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface forbondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with the cohesive material.

[0045] The term “bonding material” also includes materials which areheat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacent portions of thematerial must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied toeffect the seal. The term “bonding material” also includes materialswhich are sonically sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bondingmaterial” when used herein also includes a heat sealing lacquer or hotmelt material which may be applied to the material and, in thisinstance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied toeffect the sealing.

[0046] The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes anytype of material or element which can be used to effect the bonding orconnecting of the two adjacent portions of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a to effect the connection or bonding described herein. Theterm “bonding material” may also include ties, labels, bands, ribbons,strings, tapes (including single or double-sided adhesive tapes),staples or combinations thereof. Some of the bonding materials wouldsecure the ends of the material while other bonding materials may bindthe circumference of a cover, or a sleeve, or, alternatively and/or inaddition, the bonding materials would secure overlapping folds in thematerial and/or sleeve.

[0047] Alternatively, a cold seal adhesive may be utilized as thebonding material 30. The cold seal adhesive adheres only to a similarsubstrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, and binds only to itself. Thecold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to a similar substrate, does notcause a residue to build up on equipment, thereby both permitting muchmore rapid disposition and use of such equipment to form articles andreducing labor costs. Further, since no heat is required to effect theseal, the dwell time, that is, the time for the sheet of material toform and retain the shape of an article, such as a flower pot cover orflower pot, is reduced. A cold seal adhesive binds quickly and easilywith minimal pressure, and such a seal is not readily releasable. Thischaracteristic is different from, for example, a pressure sensitiveadhesive.

[0048] The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes anyheat or chemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials,mechanical or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-typecharacteristics of the film or materials incorporated in material whichcan cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots,grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, andany type of welding method which may weld portions of the material toitself or to the pot, or to both the material itself and the pot.

[0049] Shown in FIG. 3 is a sheet of laminated material 10 b constructedin accordance with the present invention. The sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 b has an upper surface 16 b, a lower surface 18 b, a firstside 20 b, a second side 22 b, a third side 24 b and a fourth side 26 b.The sheet of laminated material 10 b is constructed of a layer of cloth12 b and a first layer of polymeric film 14 b and a second layer ofpolymeric film 14 b′. The layer of cloth 12 b is depicted as beingdisposed between the first and second layers of polymeric film 14 b and14 b′ such that the first layer of polymeric film 14 b forms the uppersurface 16 b of the sheet of laminated material 10 b and the secondlayer of polymeric film 14 b′ forms the lower surface 18 b of the sheetof laminated material 10 b.

[0050] The first and second layers of polymeric film 14 b and 14 b′ maybe substantially the same size, and the first and second layers ofpolymeric film 14 b and 14 b′ may be substantially the same size as thelayer of cloth 12 b or larger or smaller than the layer of cloth 14 b.Alternatively, the first and second layers of polymeric film 14 b and 14b′ may be different sizes, and each of the first and second layers ofpolymeric film 14 b or 14 b′ may be substantially the same size as thelayer of cloth 12 b or larger or smaller than the layer of cloth 12 b.

Description of FIGS. 4-7

[0051]FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the use of the sheet of laminated material 10a having the bonding material 30 disposed thereon for wrapping a floralgrouping 32 having a bloom portion 34 and a stem portion 36 to provide adecorative cover 40 (FIG. 6) for the floral grouping 32. The decorativecover 40, which is provided with a substantially conical configuration,has an open upper end 42 and a lower end 44.

[0052] The bonding material 30 disposed on the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a may have a backing or release strip (not shown). Thebacking or release strip may be left applied for a period of time to thebonding material 30 after it is disposed on the upper or lower surface16 a or 18 a of the sheet of laminated material 10 a prior to its use asa wrapping material in order to protect the bonding qualities of thestrip of bonding material 30.

[0053] In operation, an operator may dispose the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a on a support surface 46 whereby the upper surface 16 a ofthe sheet of laminated material 10 a contacts the support surface 46.The floral grouping 32 is placed upon the lower surface 18 a of thesheet of laminated material 10 a in a diagonal orientation. The sheet oflaminated material 10 a is then wrapped about the floral grouping 32 bythe operator (FIGS. 5 and 6), the operator overlapping a portion of thesheet of laminated material 10 a over another portion of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a. That is, for example, the operator places thesecond side 22 a of the sheet of laminated material 10 a over the floralgrouping 32, as shown in FIG. 5. The operator continues to roll thefloral grouping 32 and the sheet of laminated material 10 a in thedirection indicated by the arrow 48 toward the first side 20 a of thesheet of laminated material 10 a until the lower surface 18 a of thesheet of laminated material 10 a substantially adjacent the third side24 a thereof firmly engages the upper surface 16 a of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a. In this position, the bonding material 30 onthe lower surface 18 a of the sheet of laminated material 10 a contactsthe upper surface 16 a of the sheet of laminated material 10 a toprovide the decorative cover 40 which substantially encompasses andsurrounds a substantial portion of the floral grouping 32.

[0054]FIG. 6 shows the floral grouping 32 wrapped in a conical fashionto provide the decorative cover 40 for the floral grouping 32. When thefloral grouping 32 is wrapped in a conical fashion, the bloom portion 34of the floral grouping 32 is exposed substantially adjacent the openupper end 42 of the decorative cover 40, and the stem portion 36 of thefloral grouping 32 is exposed substantially adjacent the lower end 44 ofthe decorative cover 40.

[0055] In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 7, the sheet oflaminated material 10 a having the bonding material 30 disposed on theupper surface 16 a thereof is utilized to wrap the floral grouping 32 ina cylindrical fashion to provide a decorative cover 40 a for the floralgrouping 32. The floral grouping 32 is disposed upon the sheet oflaminated material 10 a approximately parallel to the third side 24 a ofthe sheet of laminated material 10 a. The sheet of laminated material 10a is wrapped generally about the stem portion 36 of the floral grouping32 to a position wherein the third side 24 a of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a generally overlaps the fourth side 26 a of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a in a cylindrical fashion. As before, the portionof the sheet of laminated material 10 a substantially adjacent the thirdside 24 a is disposed generally adjacent another portion of the sheet oflaminated material 10 a, such as the portion of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 a substantially adjacent the fourth side 26 a (as shown inFIG. 7), and the two adjacent portions then are brought into contactwhere they may be bondingly engaged via the bonding material 30, therebysecuring the sheet of laminated material 10 a generally about the floralgrouping 32 so as to provide the decorative cover 40 a for the floralgrouping 32. The decorative cover 40 a so formed is provided with anopen upper end 42 a and an open lower end 44 a. However, it should benoted that the sheet of laminated material 10 a may be wrapped aplurality of times about the stem portion 36 of the floral grouping 32before the overlapping of the third side 24 a and the fourth side 26 aof the sheet of laminated material 10 a to form the decorative cover 40a and, if desired the open lower end 44 a of the decorative cover 40 amay be closed such as by crimping and the like.

Description of FIGS. 8-9

[0056] In another version of the invention, the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 1 may be usedto wrap a flower pot or pot-type container. Shown in FIG. 8 is a flowerpot 50 having an open upper end 52, a lower end 54, an outer peripheralsurface 56, and an inner retaining space 58 within which may be disposeda growing medium 60 and a botanical item, such as a plant 62 having anupper portion 64 comprising blooms or foliage or both. The sheet oflaminated material 10 is wrapped about the outer peripheral surface 56of the flower pot 50 to provide a decorative cover 66.

[0057] Any one of numerous methods known in the art may be used to wrapthe sheet of laminated material 10 about the flower pot 50 to form thedecorative cover 66. For example, the sheet of laminated material 10 maybe formed by hand about the outer peripheral surface 56 of the flowerpot 50 to produce the decorative cover 66, which can then be securedabout the flower pot 50 by a bonding material or by an elastic band 68such that the open upper end 52 of the flower pot 50 remainssubstantially uncovered by the decorative cover 66 substantially asshown in FIG. 8.

[0058] Referring now to FIG. 9, a flower pot cover former and bandapplicator device 70 for forming the sheet of laminated material 10 intothe decorative cover 66 for the flower pot 50 of FIG. 8 is illustrated.The flower pot cover former and band applicator device 70 comprises aband applicator 72 and a flower pot cover former 74. The flower potcover former and band applicator device 70 has a support platform 76with an opening 78 formed therein. A band, such as the elastic band 68,is disposed circumferentially about the opening 78 in the supportplatform 76.

[0059] The sheet of laminated material 10 is positioned on an uppersurface 80 on the support platform 76 so as to be positioned over theopening 78 in the support platform 76. The upper surface 16 of the sheetof laminated material 10 is depicted as being positioned on the uppersurface 80 of the support platform 76. However, it should be understoodthat the lower surface 18 of the sheet of laminated material 10 may bepositioned on the upper surface 80 of the support platform 76.

[0060] The flower pot 50 is positioned above the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 and is moved in a direction indicated by the arrow 82 intothe opening 78 in the support platform 76 of the flower pot cover formerand band applicator device 70. As the flower pot 50 is moved into theopening 78, the sheet of laminated material 10 is pressed about theouter peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50 thereby forming thedecorative cover 66 about the flower pot 50. The decorative cover 66 isthen secured about the flower pot 50 by the elastic band 68. The flowerpot 50 having the decorative cover 66 secured thereto is then moved in adirection indicated by the arrow 84 out of the opening 78 in the supportplatform 76 of the flower pot cover former and band applicator device70.

[0061] The elastic band 68 can be applied manually or automatically suchas by the method shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,599, issued to Weder etal. on Apr. 21, 1992, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference. The elastic band 68 can also be applied as a tie using amethod such as described in “Single Station Covering and FasteningSystem”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,009, issued to Weder et al. on Mar. 11,1997, the specification of which is hereby expressly incorporated hereinby reference. The sheet of laminated material 10 can also be appliedautomatically about the flower pot 50, for example, by methods shown inU.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,521 and 5,291,721, both of which are herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0062] Instead of securing the decorative cover 66 about the flower pot50 via the elastic band 68, the decorative cover 66 formed from thesheet of laminated material 10 may be secured to the flower pot 50 bythe use of one or more bonding materials. For example, the lower surface18 of the sheet of laminated material 10 may have a bonding materialsuch as the bonding material 30 disposed upon a portion thereof. Whenthe sheet of laminated material 10 is disposed about the flower pot 50,at least a portion of the lower surface 18 of the sheet of laminatedmaterial 10 contacts the outer peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot50 and is thereby bonded and held about the flower pot 50 via thebonding material 30.

Description of FIGS. 10-13

[0063] Shown in FIG. 10 and designated therein by the general referencenumeral 90 is a flexible bag or sleeve 90 constructed in accordance withthe present invention. The sleeve 90 may be used as a decorative cover92 for a floral grouping or a flower pot (FIG. 11). The sleeve 90initially is in a flexible flattened state or condition which isopenable to an open state or condition capable of receiving a floralgrouping or a potted plant.

[0064] The sleeve 90 has an open upper end 94, a lower end 96 and anouter peripheral surface 98. The lower end 96 of the sleeve 90 may beopen or closed with a bottom at the lower end 96. The sleeve 90 also hasan inner peripheral surface 100 which defines and encompasses an innerretaining space 102. When the lower end 96 of the sleeve 90 is closed, aportion of the lower end 96 may be inwardly folded to form one or moregussets (not shown) for allowing the lower portion of the innerretaining space 102 to be expandable, for example, for receiving thecircular bottom of a flower pot.

[0065] The sleeve 90 may be tapered outwardly from the lower end 96toward a larger diameter at its upper end 94. In its flattened state thesleeve 90 generally has an overall cylindrical or frusto-conical shape,and when opened is substantially frusto-conical in configuration. Itwill be appreciated, however, that the sleeve 90 may have variations onthe aforementioned shapes or may have significantly altered shapes suchas square or rectangular or any geometric, non-geometric, asymmetricaland/or fanciful shape or configuration, as long as the sleeve 90functions in accordance with the present invention in the mannerdescribed herein. The sleeve 90 may also be equipped with drain holes(if having a closed bottom) or side ventilation holes (not shown), orcan be made from gas permeable or impermeable materials.

[0066] The sleeve 90 may be constructed from either of the sheets oflaminated material 10 or 10 b. Any thickness of the material from whichthe sleeve 90 is constructed may be utilized in accordance with thepresent invention as long as the sleeve 90 may be formed as describedherein and as long as the sleeve 90 may contain at least a portion of aflower pot or a floral grouping, as described herein. Additionally, aninsulating material such as bubble film can be utilized in order toprovide additional protection for the item, such as a floral grouping,contained therein.

[0067] In FIG. 11 the sleeve 90 is illustrated as having the floralgrouping 32 described hereinbefore with reference to FIGS. 4-7 disposedwithin the inner retaining space 102 of the sleeve 90. Generally, thebloom portion 34 of the floral grouping 32 is disposed substantiallyadjacent the open upper end 94 of the sleeve 90 and the stem portion 36of the floral grouping 32 is disposed substantially adjacent the lowerend 96 of the sleeve 90. Either end of the sleeve 90 may be closed aboutthe floral grouping 32. Generally, a portion of the sleeve 90 istightened about a portion of the stem portion 36 of the floral grouping32 for holding the decorative cover 92 about the floral grouping 32. Forexample, the sleeve 90 may be held by a banding element 104 tied aboutthe sleeve 90 such as is shown in FIG. 11. The step of tying the bandingelement 104 about a portion of the sleeve 90 results in a crimping ofsuch portion of the sleeve 90 such that the crimped portion of thesleeve 90 substantially conforms to the stem portion 36 of the floralgrouping 32. While the banding element 104 has been illustrated hereinas a string or ribbon, it is to be understood that the banding element104 can be elastic or non-elastic bands, elastic or non-elastic string,an elastic or non-elastic piece of material, a round piece of material,a flat piece of material, a ribbon, a piece of paper strip, a piece ofplastic strip, a piece of wire, a tie wrap, a twist tie or combinationsthereof.

[0068] Other methods for binding the sleeve 90 about the floral grouping32 may be employed such as the bonding materials described elsewhereherein. For example, shown in FIG. 12 is a sleeve 90 a which issubstantially similar to the sleeve 90 described hereinbefore withreference to FIG. 10, except that the sleeve 90 a also comprises acinching tab 106 having a bonding material 108 disposed upon a surfacethereof. Upon disposal of the floral grouping 32 in an inner retainingspace 102 a of the sleeve 90 a, the cinching tab 106 can be used togather portions of the sleeve 90 a together about the stem portion 36 ofthe floral grouping 32 as shown in FIG. 13 and bondingly connected tothe sleeve 90 a for holding the sleeve 90 a about the floral grouping32, thereby forming a decorative cover 92 a which is bound about thefloral grouping 32.

Description of FIGS. 14-16

[0069] Shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is another embodiment of a sleevedesignated by the reference numeral 110 and constructed in accordancewith the present invention. The sleeve 110 may be constructed from alaminated material similar to the sheets of laminated material 10 or 10b described hereinbefore with reference to FIGS. 1-3. The sleeve 110 hasone or more “detaching” elements in predetermined areas for detaching aportion of the sleeve 110, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The sleeve 110 generally is initially in a flexible flattenedstate or condition which is openable to an open state or conditioncapable of receiving a flower pot or growing medium therein.

[0070] The sleeve 110 has an upper end 112, a lower end 114, and anouter peripheral surface 116. The sleeve 110 may be open at the lowerend 114 or closed with a bottom at the lower end 114. In a flattenedstate, the sleeve 110 has a first side 118 and a second side 120. Thesleeve 110 also has an inner peripheral surface 122 which, when thesleeve 110 is opened, defines and encompasses an inner retaining space124 as shown in FIG. 15. When the lower end 114 of the sleeve 110 isclosed, a portion of the lower end 114 may be inwardly folded to formone or more gussets (not shown) for permitting a circular bottom of anobject such as the flower pot 50, described hereinbefore with referenceto FIG. 8, to be disposed in the inner retaining space 124 of the lowerend 114 of the sleeve 110.

[0071] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the sleeve 110 is demarcated into anupper portion 126 and a lower portion 128. The lower portion 128 of thesleeve 110 is generally sized to contain the flower pot 50. The upperportion 126 of the sleeve 110 is sized to substantially surround andencompass the plant 62 contained in the flower pot 50 disposed withinthe lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110. The sleeve 110 is demarcatedinto the upper portion 126 and the lower portion 128 by a detachingelement 130 for enabling the detachment of the upper portion 126 of thesleeve 110 from the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110. In the presentversion, the detaching element 130 is a plurality of alternatingdiagonally-oriented perforations which extend circumferentially acrossthe outer peripheral surface 116 of the sleeve 110 from the first side118 to the second side 120.

[0072] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the lower portion 128of the sleeve 110 further comprises a base portion 132 and a skirtportion 134. The base portion 132 of the lower portion 128 of the sleeve110 comprises that part of the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110which, when the flower pot 50 is placed into the lower portion 128 ofthe sleeve 110, has an inner peripheral surface 122 which issubstantially adjacent to and surrounds the outer peripheral surface 56of the flower pot 50. The skirt portion 134 of the lower portion 128 ofthe sleeve 110 comprises that part of the lower portion 128 of thesleeve 110 which extends beyond the open upper end 52 of the flower pot50 and surrounds at least a portion of the plant 62 contained within theflower pot 50 and which is left to freely extend at an angle, inwardlyor outwardly, from the base portion 132 when the upper portion 126 ofthe sleeve 110 is detached from the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110.

[0073] In the intact sleeve 110, the skirt portion 134 of the sleeve 110is provided with an upper peripheral edge 135 congruent with thedetaching element 130; and the upper portion 126 of the sleeve 110 isprovided with a lower peripheral edge 137 which is also congruent withthe detaching element 130. In FIGS. 14 and 15, the upper peripheral edge135 of the skirt portion 134 of the sleeve 110 is congruent with aseries of alternating diagonally-oriented lines of perforations whichtogether form a zig-zag and comprise the detaching element 130.

[0074] The upper portion 126 of the sleeve 110 may also have anadditional detaching element 136 indicated as a plurality of verticalperforations for facilitating removal of the upper portion 126 of thesleeve 110 and which extends between the detaching element 130 of thesleeve 110 and the upper end 112 of the sleeve 110.

[0075] The upper portion 126 of the sleeve 110 is thereby separable fromthe lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110 by tearing the upper portion 126along both the detaching element 130 and the detaching element 136,thereby separating the upper portion 126 from the lower portion 128 ofthe sleeve 110. The lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110 remains disposedas the base portion 132 about the flower pot 50 and as the skirt portion134 about a lower portion of the plant 62 disposed in the flower pot 50,thereby forming a decorative cover 138 as shown in FIG. 16 whichsubstantially surrounds and encompasses the flower pot 50 and a portionof the plant 62 contained therein.

[0076] While the detaching elements 130 and 136 have been shown anddescribed herein as being a plurality of perforations, it is to beunderstood that the term “detaching element” as used herein, means anyelement, or combination of elements, or features, includingperforations, tear strips, zippers, and any other devices or elements orcombinations thereof capable of functioning to assist in the removal ofthe upper portion 126 of the sleeve 110 from the lower portion 128 ofthe sleeve.

[0077] The upper and lower portions 126 and 128 of the sleeve 110 may beformed of a two or three-layered laminated material similar to thesheets of material 10 and 10 b described hereinbefore and consisting ofa layer of cloth similar to the layers of cloth 12 or 12 b and at leastone layer of polymeric film similar to the layers or polymeric film 14,14 b and/or 14 b′. Alternatively, only the lower portion 128 of thesleeve 110 may be formed of a two-layered material and the upper portion126 of the sleeve 110 formed of a single layer of material, that is, thelower portion 128 may consist of a layer of cloth 12 or 12 b and one ormore layers of polymeric film 14, 14 b and/or 14 b′, and the layer ofcloth 12 or 12 b extends therefrom and forms the upper portion 126 ofthe sleeve 110 while the layer of polymeric film 14, 14 b and/or 14 b′is only present in the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110.Alternatively, only the base portion 132 of the lower portion 128 of thesleeve 110 may be formed of a two-layered material, and the skirtportion 134 of the lower portion 128 as well as the upper portion 126 ofthe sleeve 110 are formed of a single layer, that is, the layer(s) ofpolymeric film 14, 14 b and/or 14 b′ may only be present in the baseportion 132 of the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110, while the layerof cloth 12 or 12 b is present in both the upper and lower portions 126and 128 of the sleeve 110. By providing the layer(s) of polymeric film14, 14 b and/or 14 b′ in only selected portions of the sleeve 110, theareas of the sleeve 110 which are substantially water impermeable can becontrolled, while the single layer of cloth 12 or 12 b present alone mayprovide decorative effects different from those observed when thelayer(s) of polymeric film 14, 14 b and/or 14 b′ is in contact therewithor laminated thereto.

[0078] In a general method of use of sleeve 110 as the decorative cover138 for the flower pot 50, an operator provides the sleeve 110 and theflower pot 50 having a plant 62 disposed in a growing medium 60contained within the inner retaining space 58 of the flower pot 50. Theoperator then manually or automatically disposes the flower pot 50 intothe inner retaining space 124 of the sleeve 110, the flower pot 50 beingdisposed generally through the upper portion 126 of the sleeve 110 intogenerally the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110, the flower pot 50remaining in the lower portion 128 of the sleeve 110, permitting thesleeve 110 to substantially surround and encompass the flower pot 50 andthe plant 62 disposed in the flower pot 50. It will be understood thatalternatively, the sleeve 110 may be provided with an extension (notshown), and the sleeve 110 may be disposed on rods or wickets, and theflower pot 50 may then be disposed in the sleeve 110 either before orafter the sleeve 110 has been removed from the wickets.

[0079] As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on a portionof the sleeve 110 or any sleeve described herein to assist in holdingthe sleeve 110 to the flower pot 50 when the flower pot 50 is disposedwithin the sleeve 110 or to assist in closing the upper end 112 of thesleeve 110.

[0080] It will be understood that the bonding material, if present, maybe disposed as a strip or block on a surface of the sleeve 110. Thebonding material may also be disposed upon either the outer peripheralsurface 116 or the inner peripheral surface 122 of the sleeve 110, aswell as upon the outer peripheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50.Further, the bonding material may be disposed as spots of bondingmaterial, or in any other geometric, non-geometric, asymmetric, orfanciful form, and in any pattern, including covering either the entireinner peripheral surface 122 and/or outer peripheral surface 116 of thesleeve 110 and/or the flower pot 50. The bonding material may be coveredby a cover or release strip which can be removed prior to the use of thesleeve 110 or flower pot. The bonding material can be applied by methodsknown to those of ordinary skill in their art. One method for disposinga bonding material, in this case an adhesive, is described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,111,637, issued to Weder et al. on May 12, 1993, which is herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0081] As noted above, a bonding material may be disposed on at least aportion of the inner peripheral surface 122 of the sleeve 110, or,alternatively, the bonding material may be disposed on the outerperipheral surface 56 of the flower pot 50 contained within the sleeve110, while the sleeve 110 may be free of the bonding material. In afurther alternative, the bonding material may be disposed both on atleast a portion of the flower pot 50 as well as upon at least a portionof the inner peripheral surface 122 of the sleeve 110. In addition, aportion of the bonding material may also be disposed on the outerperipheral surface 116 of the sleeve 110 as well. It will be understoodthat the bonding material may be disposed in a solid section of bondingmaterial. The bonding material, when present, is disposed on the sleeve110 and/or flower pot 50 by any method known in the art.

Description of FIG. 17

[0082] Referring now to FIG. 17, designated generally by the referencenumeral 140 is a ribbon material constructed in accordance with thepresent invention. The ribbon material 140 can be wrapped about itemsand formed into bows and other decorative ornamentations containingruffles, loops and curved segments. The ribbon material 140 is providedwith an upper surface 142 and a lower surface 144. The ribbon materialcomprises a layer of cloth 146 and a layer of polymeric film 148,wherein the layer of cloth 146 is substantially similar to the layers ofcloth 12 and 12 b of the sheets of laminated material 10 and 10 b, andthe layer of polymeric film 148 is substantially similar to the layer ofpolymeric films 14, 14 b and 14 b′ of the sheets of laminated material10 and 10 b. The layer of cloth 146 and the layer of polymeric film 148may be laminated together by any method known in the art. In addition, asecond layer of polymeric film (similar to the second layer of polymericfilm 14 b′ of the sheet of laminated material 10 b describedhereinbefore with reference to FIG. 3) may be laminated to theunlaminated surface of the layer of cloth 146 to form a three-layeredmaterial.

[0083] The ribbon material 140 may be formed from a sheet of material invarious ways which are known in the art. For example, the sheet ofmaterial may be provided as a roll of material, and material withdrawnfrom the roll may be passed through a knife assembly having a pluralityof cutting elements which cuts the sheet of material into strips havinga uniform, predetermined width to form the ribbon material 140.

[0084] The ribbon material 140 so produced can then be wound via take uprollers to produce spools of the ribbon material 140 in a conventionalmanner. It should also be understood that one could produce the sheet ofmaterial from which the ribbon material 140 is constructed so that suchsheet of material has a width which corresponds to the desired width ofthe ribbon material 140. In such event, the cutting of the sheet ofmaterial to produce the ribbon material 140 can be eliminated. Theproduction of ribbon material from webs or sheets of material is wellknown. Thus, no further description of the production of the ribbonmaterial 140 from the sheet of material is believed necessary.

Description of FIGS. 18 and 19

[0085] Referring now to FIG. 18, designated generally by the referencenumeral 150 is a system for producing decorative grass 152 constructedin accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 19, thedecorative grass 152 is provided with an upper surface 154 and a lowersurface 156. The decorative grass 152 may be formed from any of thesheets of laminated material 10 or 10 b described hereinbefore withreference to FIGS. 1-3. Therefore, the decorative grass 152 comprises alayer of cloth 158 and a layer of polymeric film 160, wherein the layerof cloth 158 is substantially similar to the layers of cloth 12 and 12 bof the sheets of laminated material 10 and 10 b, and the layer ofpolymeric film 160 is substantially similar to the layer of polymericfilms 14, 14 b and 14 b′ of the sheets of laminated material 10 and 10b.

[0086] Referring again to FIG. 18, a roll 162 of material formed of thesheets of laminated material 10 or 10 b is supported on a mandrel 164having a brake assembly 166 operably connected thereto so that thematerial can be controllably withdrawn from the roll 162. The materialwithdrawn from the roll 162 is passed through a pair of tension or niprollers 168 and 170 and into a slitter or shredder unit 172 where thematerial from the roll 162 is slit to provide a slit web of material 174having a plurality of strips of predetermined width. The slitting of thematerial from the roll 162 to produce the slit web of material 174having a plurality of strips of predetermined width can be accomplishedusing any well known method and device. Such common methods of slittingthe material from the roll 162 include: (a) slitting the material toproduce side-by-side strips of material wherein the longer dimension ofthe strips is in the direction of travel of the material, i.e. themachine direction; or (b) slitting the material so that the longerdimension of the strips of material are oblique to the direction oftravel of the material, i.e. obliquely to the machine direction.

[0087] The slit web of material 174 having a plurality of strips ofpredetermined width is then passed through a cutting unit 176 where thestrips of the slit web of material 174 are cut into segments to form thedecorative grass 152. A segment 178 of the decorative grass 152 isillustrated in FIG. 19.

[0088] Any conventional device and method can be employed as the slitteror shredder unit 172 and as the cutting unit 176. Examples ofconventional devices which can be used as the slitter or shredder unit172 and/or as the cutting unit 176 are rotary knives, reciprocatingknives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cuttingand the like.

[0089] The decorative grass 152 can then be conveyed to a storage area(not shown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, or thedecorative grass 152 may be conveyed to a packaging machine, or conveyedto a baling machine for baling prior to storage. As other alternatives,the decorative grass 152 may be placed into boxes or cartons, subjectedto further processing immediately or held for subsequent processing.

[0090] The decorative grass 152 can also be provided with various typesof curl configurations, can be crimped or otherwise modified. That is,various types of curls, crimps and combinations thereof can be impartedto the material of the roll 162 prior to slitting the material of theroll 162 to produce the slit web of material 174, or to the slit web ofmaterial 174 prior to cutting the slit web of material 174 to producethe decorative grass 152. Any method or apparatus capable of impartingthe desired curl and/or crimp to the material of the roll 162 so thatthe decorative grass 152 produced from such material possess a curland/or crimped configuration can be employed to impart a curl and/orcrimp to the webs of material. Examples of various methods and apparatuswhich may be used to impart curl configurations to the material of theroll 162 so that the decorative grass 152 produced therefrom possesses acurl configuration are described in co-pending application U.S. Ser. No.09/591,920, entitled “Method And Apparatus For Making Curled DecorativeGrass” which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.Crimping machines capable of imparting the desired crimp to the materialof the roll 162 so that the decorative grass 152 produced therefrompossesses a crimped configuration are well known and commerciallyavailable. One method for imparting a crimp configuration to thematerial of the roll 162 so that the decorative grass 152 producedtherefrom possesses a crimped configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,891,286, entitled “Method Of Forming Curled Or Crimped DecorativeElements Having An Optical Effect” issued to Weder on Apr. 6, 1999,which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

[0091] While the sheets of material 10, 10 a and 10 b and the materialsfrom which the sleeves 90 and 110, the ribbon material 140 and thedecorative grass 152 are constructed are shown and described herein asbeing formed of a laminate of cloth and polymeric film, in certainapplications, if desired, one could utilize a non-laminated material,i.e., a layer of polymeric film and a layer of cloth. Therefore, thepresent invention is not limited to the use of a laminated material forproduction of a wrapper of sleeve for a flower pot or floral grouping, aribbon material or a decorative grass.

[0092] Changes may be made in the construction and the operation of thevarious components, elements and assemblies described herein or in thesteps or the sequence of steps of the methods described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for producing decorative grass, comprisingthe steps of: providing a laminated material comprising: a layer ofcloth selected from the group consisting of woven fabric, nonwovenfabric, welded fabric, spun-bonded fabric, knitted fabric, pressedfabric and combinations and blends thereof; and a layer of polymericfilm having at least a portion of one surface thereof laminated to thelayer of cloth; and cutting the laminated material into segments havinga predetermined width to produce the decorative grass.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein, in the step of providing the laminated material, thelayer of cloth has a thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about30 mil, and the layer of polymeric film has a thickness in a range offrom about 0.5 mil to about 30 mil.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein, inthe step of providing the laminated material, the layer of polymericfilm is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene,polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, cellophane, expanded core polymericfilm, and combinations thereof.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein, in thestep of providing the laminated material, the layer of cloth is bondedto the layer of polymeric film with a tinted bonding material.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing the laminatedmaterial, at least one of the layers of cloth or polymeric film isprovided with a decorative pattern or design.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the step of cutting the laminated material into segments havinga predetermined width to produce the decorative grass is further definedas comprising: slitting the laminated material to produce a plurality ofstrips of material; and cutting the plurality of strips of material intosegments having a predetermined width to produce the decorative grass.7. A method for producing decorative grass comprising the steps of:providing a laminated material comprising: a layer of cloth having anupper surface and a lower surface, the layer of cloth being selectedfrom the group consisting of woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, weldedfabric, spun-bonded fabric, knitted fabric, pressed fabric andcombinations and blends thereof; a first layer of polymeric film havingat least one surface thereof laminated to the upper surface of the layerof cloth; and a second layer of polymeric film having at least onesurface thereof laminated to the lower surface of the layer of cloth;and cutting the laminated material into segments having a predeterminedwidth to produce the decorative grass.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein,in the step of providing the laminated material, the layer of cloth hasa thickness in a range of from about 0.5 mil to about 30 mil, and thefirst and second layers of polymeric film each have a thickness in arange of from about 0.5 mil to about 30 mil.
 9. The method of claim 7wherein, in the step of providing the laminated material, the layer ofpolymeric film is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene,polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, cellophane, expanded core polymericfilm, and combinations thereof.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein, inthe step of providing the laminated material, the layer of cloth isbonded to at least one of the layers of polymeric film with a tintedbonding material.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein, in the step ofproviding the laminated material, at least one of the layers of cloth orpolymeric film is provided with a decorative pattern or design.
 12. Themethod of claim 7 wherein the step of cutting the laminated materialinto segments having a predetermined width to produce the decorativegrass is further defined as comprising: slitting the laminated materialto produce a plurality of strips of material; and cutting the pluralityof strips of material into segments having a predetermined width toproduce the decorative grass.